Spithill’s Team USA looks like boat to beat

(05-21) 12:14 PDT — Without winning any of the seven fleet races in Venice, Italy, Jimmy Spithill’s Oracle Team USA crew established itself as the team to beat for the 2011-12 America’s Cup World Series title going into next month’s finale in Newport, R.I.

The Spithill boat had to rally from a slow start in very light winds Sunday to finish second to France’s Energy Team in the climactic fleet race. Energy Team, consistently fast through the four days, picked up 30 points for the win and took the Venice regatta handily. Spithill shot up to second place.

Terry Hutchinson’s Artemis Racing defeated Chris Draper’s Luna Rossa Piranha for the match-racing championship. Spithill’s crew was declared the third-place finisher. So the Oracle crew, including tactician John Kostecki, Kyle Langford, Joe Newton and Brad Webb, was the only one to earn a podium finish in both disciplines.

In the overall ACWS standings, Spithill’s crew has 84 points. Second-place Emirates Team New Zealand has 80, followed by Artemis Racing with 71. The other boat from the San Francisco-based Oracle Team USA, skippered by Darren Bundock, stands sixth out of the nine entries.

Spithill recovered nicely after two eighth-place finishes and a fourth in the first three races in Venice. Over the final four races, he had two seconds and two thirds. He’ll carry his lead into the final leg in Newport, June 26-July 1.

“It wasn’t our best regatta, but in some ways, it was a fantastic test for the team,” Spithill said. “It wasn’t my plan to go out and start this regatta on the back foot, but I enjoyed seeing the team under a bit of pressure and was very happy to see our guys working away to turn it around.”

In Sunday’s 12-leg race, again on the Grand Canal, Spithill was seventh at the first reach mark. He moved down the shoreline on the run and took second by the next turning mark and made it close at the end. Loick Peyron’s Energy Team won by only nine seconds after leading by about 10 minutes at one point.

“I think the lighter conditions were good for us,” Peyron said. “I’m used to this kind of tricky game, trying to be as cool as possible.”

Gaining 20 points for finishing second pushed the Spithill crew up the leader board.

“We came here with a one-point lead over Emirates Team New Zealand; we’re leaving with a four-point lead,” Spithill said. “That’s the important thing. I’m happy with how the team did. Obviously, we’ve got a lot to work on, but there’s no question we’ll be ready for Newport.”

Kostecki said the crew’s performance on the downwind legs was crucial. “Our technique in the jibing was excellent,” he said. “There were tactical moves that were nice, and it all came together. We sailed well.”

Spithill said he and his crew improved by watching Peyron, an experienced multi-hull sailor, and his Energy Team. “We think he’s been the fastest all week,” he said.

Bundock’s crew, with Cup legend Russell Coutts as tactician, was in good position around the first reach point. The boat was involved in a slow pileup at one of the turning marks, with Emirates Team New Zealand drawing a penalty. Bundock settled into fifth place, but was so far behind the leaders that it was among five boats that didn’t complete the course when the time limit expired.

The 2012-13 America’s Cup World Series begins in San Francisco with a regatta running Aug. 21-26. The second leg is scheduled Oct. 4-7 in San Francisco during Fleet Week.